The insides of tubes used in certain applications must be periodically cleaned in order to preserve performance. For example, both boiler tubes and cannon bores accumulate performance-reducing deposits when used which must be periodically removed.
Pneumatic vibrators which carry brushes are known to be effective tools to remove or at least reduce the deposits. In the case of large artillery guns, this device is also very efficient, reducing the amount of maintenance required for each gun by nearly ½ man-year for each year the gun is in service, as compared to hand-cleaning with brushes.
However, improvements can still be made in providing more effective cleaning, the application of protective coatings, and the control of materials released into the environment during the cleaning process, and it is an object of this invention to provide such improvements.